


freezing water

by Laira1



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Blade of Marmora Shiro (Voltron), Galra Shiro (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), M/M, Not Beta Read, Protective Shiro (Voltron), english isn't my first language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25667533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laira1/pseuds/Laira1
Summary: The splashing sound his arm created, made him aware that the water was now reaching his waist in this enclosed space. Shadowy darkness encircled him from every direction, blank and secretive, hiding what he seeked, swallowing it whole.Keith paused in his movements, repeating mumbled words like a mantra.“Patience yields focus” .Inhale.  Keith let the nervousness, pain, uncertainty wash over him. A tide of unpleasant feelings, leaving only small traces behind, while Keith willed them into nothingness .Exhale.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Kudos: 42





	freezing water

It came through a coded message.

The words of a mole infiltrated in the galra ship, responsible for transporting quintessence to the witch.

The mission was assigned to him and another blade. It was supposed to be **easy** , _an in and out thing._

But when did things ever go right when it came to keith?

That’s how he got here, in a crashing pod, _probably towards his death,_ was the only thought registered in his blurry mind at the moment.

[ _Error-error. The engine will stop working in 5 doboshes]._

The annoying warning of the pod barely registered in Keith’s ears, being covered by the static noise, which was starting to give him a headache.

“Damn!” He knew the ship was damaged in the fight, much like he was, but he hoped that it would at least allow him to reach the meeting point!

“ _Cough cough cough_ , input coordinates to the nearest planet!” 

_[Error-Error. The engine will stop working in 3 doboshes_ ].

“Nonononono, _cough cough_ ” The smoke inside the cabin started to intensify, the entire ship rattling with immense force, prompting the blood that wasn’t spilling through his wounds to rush to his head.

_No no no no no. FUCK NO! This can’t be the way he’s gonna die. He survived all those voltron missions, ALL of LANCE’s bickering, the training of the blades, and he was gonna die in a retrieve mission?!_

_Even if the paladins didn’t need him anymore, wasn’t the universe too cruel to get rid of him like this? Without a trace, or was it fitting for him, forever the lone wolf, alone even in death?_

A feeling of dread made his way up his gut, sending a shiver down his spine. Everything settling into slow motion.

_He didn’t even meet his mother yet! or get back at Regris from pulling a joke on him!_

_He didn’t… didn’t even know if the other blade made it out alive...They had to take two different pods because they got separated._

_But if the galra ship fired his way...it means his partner got way, right? He_ **_must_ ** _have!_

[ _Error-Error. The engine will stop working in one dobosh]._

A bolt of electricity went through the inside of the pod, giving Keith a big enough stimulus to come back to reality.

If the Blade of Marmora taught him anything, it was, _Knowledge or death_. The memory chip was with him, so he must live. He obtained knowledge, he **_deserved_** to live!

Keith clenched his teeth, clutching at the controls. With a hand, he pressed the buttons to stop all of the ship’s functions apart from the steering system.

The only way he could breathe now, was with the help of his mask, but that wasn’t of much help when the oxygen was leaking through the rips in the fabric.

A planet surrounded with vapors could be seen on the course the pod was taking, _more like falling towards._

Keith tried steering the pod straight as much as he could, until it hit the atmosphere, and there things started to go south again.

The impact the ship made with the atmosphere sent him out cold, hands falling on his knees in clenched fists.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_CRASH!_ **

The pod shook violently, small cracks forming on the windshield. Whatever it hit was hard enough to wake even the dead, but Keith didn’t stirr.

_crack_

Silence

_crack_

Silence

It continued like this until a small trickle could be heard coming from above. It increased by the second. The wave of cold water, pounded without mercy on Keith’s face, pulling a startled choke out of him.

Everything was blurry, either from the water or from the concussion that he probably ( _definitely)_ had.

His blade suit malfunctioned, the mask going down at an unknown moment when he was passed out.

“Huff huff, where-” A wheeze made his way up his throat, before any other words could. It didn’t take long to remember in what situation he was in. Keith surveyed the inside of the pod, water already filling ¼ of the hull. It didn’t look promising at all!

_At least he was alive, marinated in freezing water, but even so, alive. Now, it was essential to escape this_ **_frickin_ ** _water cage and deliver the memory chip to the blades._

_The memory chip….where was it?_

With a trembling hand, he hastily touched at his belt. The blade was still in its place, firmly secured at his waist, but the pocket carrying the chip was teared open.

_OF COURSE IT FUCKING WAS!_

The water near his legs rippled in waves while hands frantically felt around for that darned metal piece.

Nerves on edge, every new trickle made him even more conscious of the rising water. The beats of his heart made it seem like his head was a ticking bomb, ready to combust at any moment.

The splashing sound his arm created, made him aware that the water was now reaching his waist in this enclosed space. Shadowy darkness encircled him from every direction, blank and secretive, hiding what he seeked, swallowing it whole.

Keith paused in his movements, repeating mumbled words like a mantra.

“Patience yields focus” . **Inhale.** Keith let the nervousness, pain, uncertainty wash over him. A tide of unpleasant feelings, leaving only small traces behind, while Keith willed them into nothingness **.Exhale.**

To say it bluntly it was irritating how he wasn’t able to deal with his emotions alone, how the words continuously repeated by his partner, _the_ **_only_ ** _words repeated by him,_ managed to calm him down.

The thought alone made Keith’s eye twitch.

  
He should probably thank him if, **_when_ ** he gets out of here.

Keith stilled his body, not a single muscle moving, with closed eyes, he entered deep concentration. A sharp hearing was the way to go when his eyes were of no help.

_The trickle of water._

_The pressure rising with the pod sinking._

_The sizzling of the commands._

Keith could discern them all clearly.

_Clink._

That’s what he was waiting for. With a slow turn, the chip lightly knocking on one of the wals, influenced by the waves of the water, came into his possession once again.

“Thank god it’s waterproof” was all Keith uttered before striking open the door of the pod with one leg. He put the chip in his mouth. With a last breath, he dived out, legs pushing him up with force before the tidal wave could slam him inside the pod from outside.

Keith kept swimming upwards, half in the dark since he couldn’t open his eyes for more than a peer. Sharp needles assaulted his entire body, biting into his skin.

A little more force, a little more time, that’s all he needed. White light broke broke through his clogged pupils, prompting him to move with an enforced sense of will.

With eyes open wide, a wall pushed his hand back in the abyss. Clear ice, reflected the wintry world outside, The iced glass in his way met the purple shine of the dagger hitting it without stop. Dents of ice flew in the water, floating away in the stream, much like the air bubbles escaping from the prisoner of that frigid place.

Keith screwed shut his mouth, a bluish pale hue taking charge of his face. With every new strike he advanced as his power retreated.

Beaten till fissures appeared, the ice wall made way to Keith’s stubborn resolve.

“URGH! Glurg! _Cough cough!”_ Keith grasped at the snow at the snow around the hole from where he emerged. His fingers nailed at the snow till blood would have emerged if he wasn’t wearing gloves. The chip in his mouth almost choked him to death on his way out.

Body out of the water, he removed the wet, raven hair from sticking to his face and hindering his eyesight.

What greeted him back was a dessert, but not one he was familiar with. Instead of yellow sand and rocky canyons, the frozen land sprinkled with a stormy haze, mocked his situation even more.

Putting his mask back on, he prepared to go look for shelter or at least a cave to shield him from the wind. He set out in a small jog toward what seemed to be some cliffs, when a red beep changed his plans entirely.

_Another blade was here, maybe even one of their bases. He’s saved, he’s saved, HE’S SAVED!!!!_

It took a while to fully understand what that ment.

“Yeiiiissssssssss” his numb lips slurred in happiness. The only perk of having a numb mouth was that the chip won’t slip out.

Following the coordinates of the red dot of his apparently still working blade suit,

_God, those who designed this suit are geniuses, PIdge and Hunk would have so much fun with them. They would like this ice land too. Lance would most likely start a snow fight and Allura would join for the sake of researching human culture. Coran could be the referee. Hunk would build a cool fort equipped with snow cannons. And he could...ah...nevermind._

_THis place makes his mind think weird things. He doesn't have time to play._

Without him noticing, a small silhouette was getting closer to him. With every tick passing by, it got bigger and bigger. AS late as Keith raised his head and noticed the blade approaching him, he was less than three feet away.

With another life form, _an ally_ , Keith could finally pass on the mission to someone that wasn’t about to fall down in any second and could actually finish it.

Lowering his mask, he spit out the chip, hopefully they won’t be disgusted, it was the only way he could transport it, without losing it, leaving aside the times when he almost swallowed it…

“Tikkk it tu thi ‘ase, thi sip” _take it to the base, the chip. Damn! GREAT time for his ability in wording sentences to run off._

Ugh, it didn’t matter. Keith raised the hand holding the chip, hoping it was a clear enough sign of ‘here, take it’, _and if there was a slight tremble to it, no one said anything, so it didn’t happen!_

The big guy in front of him lowered his mask too, but the height difference made his neck hurt, halting his urge to look up. Blurred as everything was in his vision, the face of the blade, might as well be some hazy purple brume with cat ears. IF he squinted his eyes, he resembled his partner, _as if._

The snow under his feet was like quicksand, swallowing the height between. Why else would the big guy become shorter? He reached towards Keith’s hand. _Ah, he finally got it and went for the chip._

Keith’s eye fell on his face, now right in front of him. The big guy’s lips appeared to be moving, but why wasn’t there sound coming out? HE seemed almost frannatic, uttering silent words only for himself.

_If you want him to hear, than_ **_use_ ** _your voice, damn it!_

“-eith! It’s Shiro! Keith can-------------------me?!” Shiro took both of Keith’s hand in his own, noticing there was no warmth to them. Whatever he said, keith remained rigid, like a statue. After his first words, the only sign that he was alive was his narrowed eyes following his moves. His raven hair was adorned with drops of ice, the threads more like sharp spikes, which made it even more worrying, since that meant he was under water.

Torn fabric from the suit, stuck out like a sore thumb, pulling out a whine out of Shiro, _which was wrong because he wasn’t the one hurt here._

“Ssshiro?,” _His partner on the mission_. What was he doing here? NO, that wasn’t important right now, “....’rrr u hurt?”

“No, Keith, i’m fine, **_you’re hurt_ **, we have to get you out of here” Shiro made a point of this by getting up from his crouched position and mildly pulling keith after him. Keith didn’t seem to get the momo.

“Wha’d’ya min? ‘m fine” It was true, he didn’t feel pain and apart from his inability, to speak at the moment, his motor functions slacking and his eyes that dropped lower and lower, everything was wonderful. He was starting to wonder if his galra genes magically kicked in and healed all of his wounds.

Shiro wasn’t in the mood to argue with a semi conscious Keith. After he saw Keith wasn’t moving an inch, he straightforwardly picked him up. One hand supporting his knees and the other his back. He put his mask back on and got going towards the marked coordinates. 

His pod, too, crashed on this wasteland of a planet, near an abandoned cottage. It was fortunate the pod didn’t crash on it. He moved fast, trying not to jostle Keith too much, as to not open his wounds again.

With the sudden change in positions, a wave of nausea came over Keith. The fact that he was somehow floating on warm winds didn’t help him at all. He squirmed in place, but wasn’t able to escape this feeling.

“Ugh” Shiro heard Keith’s groan, tucking Keith's body closer in the hopes of, at least, warming him up a little.

With that Keith’s settled down. _If you can’t fight it, join it._ He wanted to sleep, to let go for a little bit, to sink into warm oblivion. Shame that a voice from above kept telling him to stay awake. 

_Sure, God, you didn't appear until he collapsed, and now that you_ **_are_ ** _here, can’t you say something more useful? Keith knows he wasn’t much of a believer, but it’s not like God gave him a reason to be._

That’s how he ended up being on the verge of falling asleep with chains keeping him awake, all the way towards wherever the warmth was taking him to. If he was bold enough to take him to hell, then the flames shall envelop him like a blanket full of comfort.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fierce gusts of wind gathered up the snow outside in small piles, only for it to be blown in every direction ticks later. In this way the sole window kept being hit by bun like snowflakes, creating a silent _bush_.

_Bush, bush, bush._

It was quieter than Keith’s alarm clock, allowing him to slowly come to himself. The crackle of the fire behind him and the noise coming from outside guided him to come back from his not quite sleep. 

Keith slightly shifted under the thin blanket covering him up to his throat. It was an ingrained reflex to look for his dagger when he found himself god knows in what circumstances. But where he would usually touch the hilt, he touched only air this time. HIs weapon was missing and he was in an unknown place. This knowledge was all it took for Keith's body to strain. Ready to pounce at any minute.

The underline of his tensed muscles became more pronounced under the thin blanket, prompting the other person in the room to move closer, making his presence known.

Shiro noticed the movement on the bed. He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking that Keith was uncomfortable, hand reaching out to turn Keith on his back, as to better see if something is wrong.

That actionwas all Keith was waiting for. He seized the hand that was about to touch him and using the advantage of surprise he raised his whole body in one fluid motion, tackling the person to the ground. Which was harder than he would like to admit. Now that he was on the floor, ( _well on top of someone that was on the floor),_ his body practically screamed in protest.

Looking closely at the figure under him, the back seemed familiar. His hunch was confirmed when the purple ears twitched on the same habitual way his partner’s would, when he was anxious. It was this quality that allowed Keith to understand him without the need of words.

“Shiro?”

“Keith,” Shiro turned his head around, one of his cheeks being squished to the ground “get down” This position was’t the most convenient, not for him any way. Keith looked quite leisure on top of him, after the possibility of danger was crossed off his list.

Keith let go of Shiro’s hand pinned behind his back, shuffling in a sluggish manner from Shiro’s back to the floor.

“What happened?” Keith followed Shiro’s movements, while he settled in a more favorable position than being face first into the floor. He had more questions to ask, however, when Shiro got up, he didn’t answer him in favor of scooping him up to the bed and covering him with the blanket first. It must have touched one of his wounds, making him involuntarily flinch from pain. _What would he not give now for painkillers._

Shiro’s hands momentarily stalled before reaching for the box on the table. He took out a square vial akin to the ones the blades have for storing pills, tho this one had more shades of black and was smaller.

“Here” As he thought, Shiro took out two pills, handing them to him. He already knew what they were for, not having a second thought before dry swallowing them. 

“Thanks, i needed that” said Keith while hoisting himself upwards “So, where are we and what happened exactly?” He didn’t complain. It was a hundred way better than a cave or being in the cold, altogether. Looking around, this place was pretty good for taking shelter. It had a table, a window for surveying the situation outside, and his favourite, **_a fireplace, a sweet, warm, burning fireplace._ **He was already moving closer, being attracted by the flames like a moth, still waiting for shiro’s answer

He didn’t get far tho. Without even taking two steps, he was mildly pulled back. Turning only his head around with a raised eyebrow he questioned “What?” It started to become a one man conversation.

“Keith” Shiro pointed towards his body “When i found you, your body was half frozen and scattered with condensed blood” It was a sight he never wanted to see again “It’s not good walking around like this.” Shiro’s ears started twitching again

Only now did Keith properly assessed his body, noticing that a large part of his upper body and right leg were covered in bandages. Some even had tiny red stains, resulting from one of his wound reopening, most likely. He was also only in his underwear. _No wonder it was so chilly…_

The strong desire to cover his face was answered by the blanket thrown his way, which was immediately wrapped around himself.

“If you want to sit in front of the fire, cover yourself with a blanket” Keith seated himself on a coarse, brown fur. The heat of the fire blowing on him. Shiro sat next to him, brushing their shoulders. It’s something Keith learned was for offering comfort or reassurance, _not like he needed it._

“This cottage is near the place where my pod ‘landed’, i traced you down through the tracker in you suit, but when i found you…” Shiro swallowed his next words “You were lucky”

They didn’t look at eachother, keeping their eyes on the saltation made by the sparks. specks of hot light dancing in the fire.

“Mm” Keith knew it was fortunate Shiro found him when he did. Even if he didn’t remember, after how Shiro described it, it wasn’t one of his best looks.

“How long?” If he’d have to guess it would be two days, _at most._

“...almost a week” Shiro pressed closer into Keith’s shoulder. The difference in size was an obstacle sometimes. What he most wanted to do right now, when Keith finally opened his eyes, was to hug him, to make sure his heart was beating and not going down with the temperature of his body.

“Oh, Ohhh” said Keith, his words accompanied by his groan escaping him.

_This...This feeling was nauseating. If he listened closely he could decipher Shiro’s whines reverberating from his chest. Finding his partner,_ **_friend_ ** **,** _half frozen and bringing him here, not knowing if Keith will wake up at all. He must have felt hopeless knowing he could do nothing but wait. If it was him he would be brimming with anxiousness, which he could feel cascading off of Shiro._

“It’s ok now, big guy. **I’m ok.** Way better than i was, anyway, and that’s thanks to you” This were the only comfort words he knew, _lamentably._ He would much more prefer to fight something and show he was really fine. “I could even beat down some galra” _How he’d wish._

Shiro’s head dropped on Keith’s shoulder, the hairs on the tip of his ears brushing Keith’s cheek. The exasperation in his tone matching his strong protest “Don’t you dare”

With Shiro’s head on close proximity, Keith took the chance to pat his head. Not encountering any opposition, he continued doing so, further scratching behind Shiro’s years. IT was a nice sensation, soft and fluffy. It reminded him of the stray cats he used to feed back on earth.

The room sank into silence, leaving his mind to wonder,while both of his hand relished in the velvety fur.

_Following after what Shiro said, he too, crashed here in the aftermath of the altercation with the galra. His pod should still be whole and not too damaged. The medical kit was most likely taken from the pod too. Shiro was smart enough to neutralize any tracking function the pod must have had, and as for his pod. He didn’t need to worry about it…_

_If the pod wasn’t too jumbled up, they could use it to get off planet and if it was they could try to send a distress signal to the Blades. If that didn’t work either, they’d have to figure something else. He doubts the fire wood would last them much longer, excluding the problem of food and water. Water...gazing through the window, melted snow could solve the problem, that’s it, if this planet doesn’t have some toxic gas that seeps into the snow. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing Keith has encountered since Voltron and the Blades._

_Looking back at Shiro, he seemed to be resting_ , **_he sure deserved it._** _He definitely didn’t get much rest in the past quintants. He’ll have to consult with him about what to do later, and the chip he couldn’t see, since the only light came from the fire, and his suit and a way to patch it up,_ _and many,_ ** _many_** _more ands._

In front of the fireplace, many worries appeared in Keith’s head, lulling him to sleep. Keith adopted a brooding expression mirroring his thoughts.

Shiro raised his head when Keith's breaths evened out. He chuckled when he noticed the deep look accompanying Keith to sleep. Sitting like this for a while more, he got up and carried them both to the bed. After all it might not be a problem for him, but sitting on the floor while injured surely wouldn’t do Keith any good.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I found duct tape!” said Keith in an excited manner.

“You found what?” Shiro looked over his shoulder at Keith, who was rummaging through some boxes.

“It’s a cloth-backed, rubber-adhesive tape. I can use it to patch my suit” 

The roll of tape in his hands was heavier and shadier, but it should do his job. 

He couldn’t wait to get back in his suit. The makeshift clothes hanging from his body, not being very useful if something were to happen.

He put the duct tape on the table, near the chip, going to grab his suit.

Shiro side eyed Keith, throwing the last log atop the barely burning embers. He already knew why Keith was so excited and it surely wasn’t the duct tape. Grabbing some bandages from the medical kit. He beckoned for Keith to come to the bed.

LIke this, Keith placed the blade suit on the bedside and started taking the bandage on his leg off, while Shiro dealt with the one circling his upper body. Since Shiro was too tall, he had to kneel down, which took keith by surprise the first time he did it, but becoming the norm in this two movements (week).

“After i fix my suit, we’re going to look for food outside”

“I could go alone” said Shiro, concentrating on applying medicine on the deeper cuts on Keith’s torso.

“You could,” Keith took the medicine from Shiro and handed him the clean bandages “but i will still follow you” 

“Your wounds aren’t healed yet” Shiro’s voice didn’t contain any ire. They had this conversation more than 3 times already. Since Keith’s suit was too torn for the weather outside, he still had to stay inside, but now, with this _duct tape,_ it apparently wasn’t a problem anymore. Knowing Keith’s temper, the outcome was already decided.

“My wounds won’t matter if we starve to death, until the Blades reach us”

“I sent the signal 9 quintants ago, we won’t have to wait long”

“Not to be pessimistic, but we have no way to know if it reached them. For now our best shot is to try and fix you pod, and fi- _hiss,_ ” Keith’s hand squeezed Shiro’s shoulder “Don’t tighten the bandage so much!”

“Stop moving around so much” While Keith spoke, he was finishing with the rebandaging, _which_ wasn’t easy when when the patient kept stirring.

After bandaging Keith and the suit, they were ready to set out, the log in the fireplace leaving behind only warm cinders.

“Do you have the chip?” Even if this place was in the middle on nowhere, it was still safer to have the chip on them.

“Yes” Shiro patted the secret compartment in his suit. “Keith-”

“ _Remain close, don’t be rash, don’t strain yourself._ Should i continue? Don’t forget, i am a blade too. Even with these wounds i can still beat you in a fight” Keith understands where Shiro’s concerns come from, but if he doesn’t trust his capability to fight and watch over his back, it will be detrimental to their mission. Even looking for food needs trust when done in a team.

“Patience yields focus” said Shiro with a nod. It was something for both of them to take into account.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The snow scrunched under their feet, as they run after the snegorm. Keith’s dagger almost got his tail, but the little fucker dodged it before diving straight into a hole in the snow.

It barely escaped with Shiro’s fist going straight through the hole to grab it.

“Did you catch it?”

Under Keith’s eyes Shiro unclenched his fist, letting the crushed snow free to fall through his fingers.

“Damn!” Keith already lost hope of catching any rabbits since they weren’t even an existing species on this planet, but the hairy white worm, the snegorm, was supposed to be their dinner…

“It’s getting late and we still didn’t catch anything” said Shiro. 

The slight warmth felt through the fog was getting dimmer in a slow but unignorable way. At the same time, the wind started to catch up. A sign of the approaching snowstorm.

All this time, the only things they found were the snegorms. They appeared to be the only life forms on this planet, _at least in this region._

This didn’t look good for them.

“I guess we have no choice,” Keith locked eyes with Shiro. Both of them knowing where their next destination was “we’re going fishing!”

“Sigh, let’s hope we have more luck there”

Shiro led the way to the place he found Keith at, and continued in the direction where he remembered Keith coming from.

They moved fast, since time wasn’t on their favor.

“We’re almost there!” Looking around Keith recalled the approximate whereabouts of the lake he crashed into. He seized Shiro’s hand and urged him ahead.

In front of them, the fog thinned down until it completely disappeared a metre away from the lake. Scattered snow laid in a threadlike layer atop the ice. It allowed the to see the gray fish touching the ice from under it.

Keith’s eyes lit up at the sight of fish. Looking further away from the shore of the lake, the hole his pod created was still there. They could bait and catch the fish there.

“Hurry up, old timer! Our dinner is waiting!” He smirked while braking into a run towards the hole, leaving Shiro to run after him.

“Wish to repeat what you said?” Shiro overtook Keith, looking back with a smile plastered on his face.

The hole was bigger and more chiseled around the edges. It’s round form was bigger than the pod, but Keith put that thought at the back of his mind, when he saw the fish _actually jumping up from the water._ As though propelled by something.

“We should have come here from the start. Wouldn’t have wasted that much time on the snegorms”

Keith crouched down, seizing the fish he could reach and putting them into a skin bag he found laying around in the cottage.

Shiro examined their surroundings. The long print in the snow becoming more worrisome as it was all around the place where they were at. A long drag of something big. That’s what it striked Shiro as. 

“Wha-” He hoisted Keith up, pointing towards the prints in the snow. It could only be the wind blowing the snow in weird patterns, _he hoped it was only the wind._

“It’s time to leave” whispered Shiro for only Keith to hear. He wasn’t going to risk it.

Keith had the same mindset, gripping the half full skin bag, hanging from his shoulder.

“What do you think made them?”

“The wind”

Keith glanced at Shiro, getting even closer. HIs senses on alert. “I sure hope so”

_Bump, bump, bump._

The sound of the fish hitting the ice took a whole other meaning than their dinner. They were scared, running. Keith and Shiro were about to find out why.

From the ice hole emerged a snegorm THREE TIMES BIGGER THAN SHIRO. It FIxed it’s red eyes on them, before it lunged at full speed after their backs.

“RUN!!!” 

Keith didn’t need the memo. But even if they ran at full speed, the slithering worm still cut them off. It opened its mouth, showcasing the sharp teeth rotating inside.

“SHIRO, BAIT IT TOWARDS YOU!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO!?”

“JUST TRUST ME!” _he was going to find out too._

Shiro unsheathed his blade. Striking for the snegorm’s neck (?). 

Sharp streaks of purple directed towards it, summoned a jarring wail out of its moth. the snegorm plunged its head face down into the ice. The ice floor shook with force, making Shiro’s footing unstable. He thrust his blade in the ice for stability.

Before the snegorm could take a second lunge for Shiro, Keith leaped on top of it. His blade cut into the thick, white flesh. The rupture caused the worm to struggle frantically in its attempt to throw Keith off its back.

Noticing the futility of its attempts to throw the assailant off, it started rushing towards the one it could reach. Wailing madly, it rushed after Shiro with a wide open mouth!

Shiro run in unclear circles, trying to confuse the worm, since it couldn’t outrun it. When it couldn’t avoid it anymore he **striked.** One slash at its body drew green slime from the wound.!

“Keith!”

“I know!”

Using all his strength to push the dagger in the flesh, he concentrated, transforming it into a blade. This way it reached the deepest part it could. Without another thought, Keith gripped the sword with both hands and relaxed his legs. He let his body be thrown to the side while the snegorm was lunging for Shiro. His weight and the power which launched him to the right drew the sword after him. The deep gash erected made way for not only green slime to spill out, but for weird looking flesh, too. 

From Keith’s angle on the ice, the two lengths of the snegorm were connected only by the remaining metre of skin on the left side, Keith’s sword didn’t touch.

The snegorm fell to the ground, spasming brutally. Shiro’s blade breached its skull, ending its life.

“Haaah!” Keith let out a breath, sprawling his limbs on the snow. “At least, we won’t have to come looking for food for a few days” This snegorm will be enough to last them for a while, it better be.

Keith tried to bring his irregular breathing back to normal, Shiro’s head popping up above him. He didn’t look as fazed as he should be.

“How come you look more relaxed, when you were the one running and not me?” 

Hw half Knew the answer, but it was really annoying to be the one looking up, while Shiro seemed like he didn’t break a sweat. He was also starting to feel the cold and he knew his face must be red from the biting wind.

Being half galra, he really wished he got fur, like Shiro to protect him from the cold. Being bigger wouldn’t hurt either. The only noticeable trait from his mother’s lineage are his purple irises, almost like slits.

Keith picked himself up, leaning most of his weight on Shiro, who gladly supported him.

“You did a good job”

“Not without your help” Keith looked at the dead snegorm “How much of it do you think we can carry back?”

“We’re about to found out” 

They got to work in sorting the beats and pieces of the snegorm’s body, that could give sustenance.

Shiro did most of the work since he wasn’t adept in this field. Getting and cleaning his blade from the gooey inside of the worm was his mane objective.

“We can eat the meat, right?” 

“Yes, I heard this worms are the main source of food in this climate. However the data i read didn’t show they grow this big” Shiro severed the belly, cleaning the unwanted ‘blood’ with the snow.

“This guy was left alone to grow this big. It must have been awakened by the crash” The fact that he could have been eaten by this snegorm that day sent shivers down his spine.

_He wouldn’t even knew how he died. Those teeth would have pierced his body, leaving only traces of diluted blood in the water…_

“It didn’t happen” Shiro grasped Keith hand “Let’s go”

Looking up at Shiro’s twitching ears, it was as if he read his thoughts. It made him feel warm and fuzzy, different from the fire or the sun.

“Ok” He looked down at his cleaned dagger, hiding a small smile.

The sunset wasn’t visible through the fog. Only the two figures leaving behind a long trail could be distinguished. It had been a long time since the silence was breached on this land, prompting the creeping creatures to raise their head from under the snow. Yet, they all dived right back in, like spooked rabbits, when they smelt the blood of their kind.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ It’s awful” said Shiro still forcibly swallowing the cooked meat.

“I will never complain about space goo in the future” Taking after Keith’s disgusted face, the only good part was that they still had the cooked fish caught by Keith.

“ It’s better than being hungry”

Glancing at Shiro’s wrinkled nose, he swallowed his laugh. _Cute._

“Pff-” He almost choked on the hard meat “Uh-huh”

Sitting on the bed and watching one of the last firewood burn after they finished eating, Keith said in a relaxed voice “Enjoy this bed while you can, it’s going in the fireplace tomorrow” 

From tomorrow, until help arrives, he’ll have to use Shiro as cushion. It was a thought that made Keith narrow his eyes. He reached behind Shiro’s ears, trailing his fingers through his fur.

“Mm”

They were sitting upright on the bed, with Shiro behind Keith, already acting like a big and warm cushion. His head sitting comfortably on Keith’s shoulder. Since the bed was too small for both of them to lay down, and no way in hell was he gonna let Shiro sleep on the floor, this position became a typical one for them.

Shiro enveloped Keith from the back, putting his hands on his waist, offering a big hug. He had content look on his face, like a cat that finally caught a big prize. He nuzzled Keit’s neck, a purr reverberating through his chest.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Sleep took Shiro away faster. Keith didn’t know what he should say about what he felt, nor how he could express it to Shiro, but every time Shiro looked at him, it seemed like he understood, radiating warmth from his eyes. And this was enough for Keith, _at least for now._

Falling into a sleepy trance, he continued to caress Shiro’s furr in a practiced motion, until it completely stopped in place.

The next day, about the time they wanted to break the bed to put it on the fire, a set of coordinates were transmitted to Shiro’s suit. It was the meeting point where the Blades were waiting for them.

They looked at each other grinning from ear to ear.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enjoyed it!!! since this was my first fic :)  
> The spared bed: ε-(´・｀) ﾌ


End file.
